Cord-knotter for self-binding harvesters



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

H. E. PRIDMORE. A CORD KNOTTER FOR SELF BINDING HARVBSTER S. No. 604,336.

PatentedMay 17, 1898.

- 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

H. E. PRIDMORE. 00m) KNOTTER FOB SELF BINDING HARVESTEES.

Patented May 17,1898.

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D I R P H H CORD KNOTTBR FOR SELF BINDING HARVESTERS.

N0. 604,336. Patented May 17,1898.

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NITEDJ STATES HENRY E. PRIDMORE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CORD-KNO TTE R FOR SELF-BINDING HARVESTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,336, dated May 17, 1898.

Application filed January 19, 1894. Serial No. 497,435. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY E. PRIDMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, in the State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oord Knotters for Self-Binding Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to devices for holding and uniting the cord in cord self-binding machines, and have particular reference to the simplicity of the mechanisms for this purpose, the ease with which they can be manufactured in large quantities without special care, their freedom from rapid-wearing movements, and the absence of all parts that are liable to get out of order and cause trouble in the field. I attain these objects by the use of the mechanisms shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my knotting mechanism and the breastplate attached to it, together with the needle advanced to bring the cord to the looper and disk in a position such as it occupies when surrounding a bundle. Fig. 2 is a top view, with the knotterframe, the looper-shaft, and the disk-shaft in section, 011 the broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and the parts in the position that they would occupy in relation to the breastplate, which is shown beneath them. Fig. 3 is a side view showing the knotter-frame attached to a part of the breastplate,with the needle just started on its return movement and the looper approaching a half-revolution with the cord wrapped about its bill. Fig. 4 is an elevation in section on the line a 4 of Fig. 3, looking from the stubble side of the machine, of the knotter-frame and breastplate,with the looper in position and with the cords from about the bundle held in position 011 the looper by a deflecting guide and finger that projects across the cord-slot. Fig. 5 is also a View from the stubble side of the machine, with the knotterframe in section, on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. The disk and its shaft and pinion are in position as well as the disk-spring and looper-spring and cord-guide. Fig. 6 is a top view with the knotter-frame, looper-shaft, and diskshaft in section, with the parts in position, such as they would occupy in relation to the breastplate and with the needle advanced in the position it would occupy about the time the looper has made one-third ofa revolution. Fig. 7 is a top View, the same as Fig. 6, showing the position of the looper and needle, disk, and cord at the time the looperhas completed a revolution and grasped the cords. Theknife is just ready to sever the cords. Fig. Sis a side elevation of the knotter-frame, showing the disk and looper in position and also the looper-spring. The deflecting-finger projecting into the slot as well as the form of the inset that sustains the cord are shown. Fig. 9 is a top view of the finger and cord-sustaining inset in the cordslot of the breastplate.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

The knotter-frame A has the usual long horizontal bearing and is mounted on the shaft of the binde1-B,usually called the knottereshaft. A cam-wheel O is also mounted upon this shaft and keyed thereto, so as to receive motion therefrom. This cam-wheel is fitted with a segment of gearing for the looper and one for the holder-disk, together with delay-flanges to hold these parts in position after they have been given their movements resulting from the gear-segments. Extending from the horizontal part of the frame A is a thin inverted-V-shaped extension, one arm of which, A, is firmly attached to the breastplate D. In the other arm the shaft for the holder-disk is journaled, and between this shaft and the arm A the looper-shaft has its bearing. The inverted-V-shaped extension forming a part of the knotter-frame is positioned on the breastplate in relation to the needle-slot, so that the reciprocations of the needle E will pass the cord over the looperbill to the holder-disk, as shown in Fig. 1. The shaft of the holder-disk F, as before remarked, is journaled inthe knotter-fra1ne radially to the knotter-shaft B. On the upper end of this shaft is keyed the holder-pinion F in such a position as to mesh with its segment of gear on the cam-wheel O, and the shaft is given a complete rotation each turn of the cam. The holder-disk F is a round plate, flat or practically so, corrugated or roughened on its upper face to prevent the cord from slipping, and for the further purpose of carrying the fag ends of the cord from beneath the holder. As a further aid to the discharge of the fag end the disk F has a thickened or hub portion f, and the corrugations or ro'ughenings are continued up the Vertical face of this hub or ring. After the fag end is severed it tends to run to the center, and thus against the hub, which it carries around from beneath the holder and allows it to drop off. The angle of the disk-shaft is such that the disk F is placed at a slight angle to the path of the needle-cord from the position it occupies when the needle is in its advanced position encircling the bundle, The disk F has a tangential notch f, with a hook f for the purpose of catching the needle-cord as the disk revolves, and another notch f in which the holder-cord rests during the formation of a bundle. The portion of the. disk between these notches has agreater diameter than the main portion of the disk. This width insures the needle-strand of the cord being caught and held between the holder-plate and the disk. Owing to this widened portion the notches do not have to be out so deeply into the periphery of the disk,

and the plate forming the disk is thus less.

liable to spring and allow the cord to slip out during the, formation and tying of the bundle. The disk or disk-shaft also carries a knife G, which is attached to the under part of the v disk or lower end of the shaft and receives its motion from the rotation of the disk-shaft.

Thisknife extends a sufficient distance beyondthe edge of the disk to clear the holder in its rotation, and then is turned up parallel,

or nearly so, to the shaft of the holder-disk.

This turned-up portion is of sufficient height to encounter and cut the cord as the disk ro-s tates.

The. arm of the knotter-frame A, in which the disk-shaft is journaled, has an extension at at its lower extremity on the side toward thelooper, which overlaps that portion of the holder-disk. This disk F is yieldingly held up. against this projection of the frame by a spring II, that is attached to the upper horizontal portion of the frame A and extends parallel therewith and, being bifurcated at the end,surrounds the upper end of the holderdisk. shaft above the pinion and draws it upwardly with a force that Varies as the setscrew h, that holds it, is adjusted. In order to protect the upper end of this shaft from its being carried betweenthe disk and holder,

I attach a guideI to the knotter-frame A in sucha positionthat the pointof the needle will? pass through it in its reciprocations and to different tensions.

the looper-bill to form the knot.

This washer is held in 1 Pressure upon the washer h extend it downwardly to, the holder-disk. That the holder a on the frame A may be as durable as possible and have a removable part that can be replaced in case of wear, I extend the guide I, which is formed of a piece of hardened plate-steel, beneath the face of the holder a and rivet it thereto, so that it forms the bearing-plate against which the upper face of the holder-disk F is springpressed and between which the cord is held by the force of the spring H.

The looper J is journaled in the frame, as has been common in cord-knotting devices heretofore patented to me, and is of the usual construction of looping-bills. Its method of actuation is also well known. The position and location of the spring J, which closes its jaw, are, however, different from the usual constructions, and it consists in a flat plate of spring-steel attached at its outer end to the knotter-frame on the extension in which the holder-shaft is journaled, and the inner end is free and is guided and held in place by being loosely mounted on a pin fixed in the arm of the knotting-frame that is attached to the breastplate. The spring stands edgewise and lengthwise in the plane of rotation.

of the roller on the pivoted jaw of the looper. A set-screwj, as is usual, adjusts the spring The normal position of the looper J is outwardly toward the direction of the discharge of the bundle, so that when the loop has been formed by the rotation of the looper and the bundle is ejected by the discharge-arms no additional mechanism Will be necessary to strip the loop from The position of this looping-bill and the direction of pull on the cords during the discharge of the bundle make it necessary that the breastplate shall be cut away beneath and somewhat past or to one side of the bill, so that there may be a direct pull upon the cord that will tend to strip the loop from the loopingbill. The normal position of the looping-bill being outwardly, as stated, and the slot in the breastplate being essential it becomes necessary to have some means of keeping the cord on the looping-bill during the formation of the bundle and until such a time as the revolution of the bill shall so take hold of the cord as to retain it. This position of the looperbill, the extended slot, and one means for holding the cord have been heretofore shown in my Patents No. 442,544, granted December 9, 1890, and No. 481,244, granted August 23, 1892. The old method of retainingthe cords, however, has been by means of fingers or gates that projected fully or partly across the cord-slot, and over which fingers or gates the cords passed on their way to the holder. In

the case of fingers the cords were held thereon until swept therefrom and around their points by the rotation of the knotting-bill. With gates devices for opening them have been provided, thus allowing the cords to slip by at the proper time. While the cord-guide K (shown in the accompanying drawings) bears a close resemblance to my earlier constructions, its object is not the same, at least so far as its retaining function is concerned. As a guide it throws the cords toward the looping-bill in an old way. It will, however, be noticed more particularly in Fig. 4 that the cords do not rest upon the finger K, as in the case of my former construction referred to, but upon the breastplate L,which is projected into the slot beneath the looper more than has been common heretofore. The edge of the breastplate at L must, however, in order that the cords shall slip therefrom when the bundle is being discharged, be rounded and to such a degree as that alone it would not act with any degree of safety as a stop for the cord. The finger K is formed with a some what blunt end, and its beginning is in a plane high enough so that when projected across the slot, slightly inclined downwardly, its blunt end will be above the breastplate on the opposite side of the slot. The cords are guided by its downward trend to the breastplate L, and are prevented from slipping down the curved part of the breastplate by being held over against and upon the breastplate by the end of the finger. The strain of the cords, however, is upon the breastplate L, and they are partly held from slipping sidewise by the blunt end of the finger K. As an aid to the finger the outer edge of the inset into the breastplate on which the cords rest is bent upwardly a little, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to form as much of a hook as possible and still allow the cords to slip on into the extended slot when deflected beneath the finger. The looping-bill is positioned with respect to the finger K in such a manner that it will pick up the cords on its rotation and loop them about itself, and when it has completed its revolution the angle of the cords from the bill to the breastplate willbe such that the finger is no longer'a bar to the sliding of the cords along the outwardly-trending edge of the breastplate L. In the old construction it was necessary that the cords be lifted from the stopfinger and swung around it into the slot beyond the finger. If for any reason one of the cords was not carried around the finger in the old construction and stayed above it, a loose bundle would result, because the band would hang upon the finger and be broken. In my construction should one of the cords stay above the finger the discharge of the bundle will slide the cord from the finger, as its trend is always in an outwardly direction to allow the escape of the cord. It only serves a retaining function when the cords are in the one position on the looper-bill and then only as it acts in combination with the breastplate.

I will now proceed to describe somewhat the operation of my device that I may more fully speak of some of the special features of the cord-holder.

In Fig. 2 the cord-holder is shown in its position of rest, awaiting the accumulation of a bundle, and the holder strand of cord is shown in the disk. Upon the accumulation of a bundle the needle encircles the gavel and brings the cord across the looper and disk somewhat tangential thereto, as shown in Fig 1. The disk revolves, and the outstanding spur that forms the slot f takes hold'of the cord, as shown in Fig. 6. The looper by this time has begun its rotation, and the end of the strand of cord that was in the holder and firmly grasped by being belayed around the notch, as shown in Fig. 2, has by the revolution of the disk passed from between the holder and disk, the grasp upon it decreasing as the revolution of the knotting bill required cord for the formation of the loop, thus allowing the cord to slip through the holder, and in the meantime notch f of the holder has gathered the cord, with an increasing grasp, a second time between the disk and the holder, thus taking a new hold upon the cord, but one that allows the cord to slip with sufficient ease, so that the looper-bill can obtain cord to complete its loop. It will be noticed that the secondary grasp is one of pressure only, as the cord is not belayed about a notch. The movement of the parts continue from nearly a half-revolution, as shown in Fig. 6, to the complete revolution of the knotting-bill, as shownin Fig. 7. The disk, however, has an added movement'that draws the needle-strand of cord between the holder-plates, and a further movement carries the knife against the cords to cut the bundle that has been formed from the spool and holder strands, the short end of the holder-strand being still held in the holder.

The guide I makes a certainty of the gathering in of the cord between the disk and holder plates,as no amount of slack, however great, from the needle will allow the cord to escape after it has once been gathered in. It also prevents the cord from being pulled from the holder.

The fag end of the cord that is cut off in the holder, as shown in Fig. 7, if it should remain where it is cut off would soon clog between the holder-plate and the disk and prevent grasping a new cord with sufficient strength to keep it from slipping from the holder. The corrugations or roughening of the holder-plate are essential to the purpose of carrying these fag ends around from between the disk and the holder-plate. It is, however, doubtful whether these corrugations alone would be suifioient, as the tendency of the fag end, after it is freed from any strain upon it, is to run to the, center. The central rim or hub of the disk, with its corrugations or roughenings, will, however, with the assistance of the corrugations on the flat part of the disk, always carry the fag ends around from beneath the holder, so that they are free to drop off. By changing thediameter of this corrugated hub the throw of the fag end can be changed, so that it can always ICO IIC

with certainty be carried from between the plates. It will be noticed that the movement of the holder-disk being away from the knotting-hook the cords between the holder and the knotter will be kept taut, and the knife can therefore easily sever them.

Having now described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A cordholder disk roughened on its holding-face, and having a hub roughened on its periphery and extending above the face.

2. A cord holder disk provided with grooves or serrations on its holding-face, and having a hub formed with grooves or serrations in lines at substantially a right angle to the plane of the disk.

3. A cord-holder disk provided with radial grooves or serrations on its holding-face, and having a hub formed with longitudinal peripheral grooves or serrations forming continuations of those of the disk.

4. A cord-holder disk having two notches in its periphery, the segment of the disk between the notches having a greater diameter than the main portion of the disk.

5. A cord-holder disk having two notches in its periphery, the segment of the disk between the notches having a greater diameter than the main portion, and a knife secured to part of the greater diameter.

6. In a cord-knotter, the combination of a holder-disk having two notches in its periphery, the segment of the disk between the notches having a greater diameter than the main portion, a guide extending downward from the knotter-frame above the disk and secured-to the holder so as to form a loop to admit the needle-point and a guide to direct the cord into the disk-notches, and a knife mounted on the part of the disk of the greater diameter and adapted to rotate outside the guide.

7. In a cord-knotter, the combination of a holder-disk, a holder integral with the knotter-frame, a spring to hold the disk against the holder, and a cord-guide extending from the holder outwardly and upwardly so as to form a loop for the passage of the needles point, said guide being connected at its upper end to the knotter-frame.

8. In a cord-knotter, the combination of a holder-disk, a holder integral with the knotter-frame, a spring to hold the disk against the holder, and a cord-guide secured at its upper end to the knotter-frame and extending downwardly and forming a loop for the passage of the needle and a guide to direct the cord into the holder, said guide being continued under the cord and secured to the holder so as to act as a support for the cord.

9. In a cord-knotter, the combination of the holder integral with the knotter-frame, a holder-disk, a spring to hold the disk against the holder, and a cord-guide extending from the holder outwardly and upwardly and connected at its upper end to the knotter-frame so as to form a loop for the passage of the needle-point, said guide being extended beneath the holder so as to form a bearing-face for the disk.

10. In a cord-knotter, the combination with the looper trending normally in the direction of the discharge of the bundle, and the slotted breastplate, of a guiding-finger projecting from the side of the slot opposite the looper and having its active face so inclined in the general direction of the movement of the cord as to guide and deflect the same to the opposite side of the slot nearest the looper without arresting it, and a stop and support for the cord on the side of the slot next the looper, said guide-finger overhanging the stop and acting to hold the cords thereon during the knot-forming operation.

11. In a cord-knotter, the combination with the looper trending normally in'the direction of the discharge of the bundle, and the slotted breastplate, of a guiding-finger projecting from the side of the slot opposite the looper, and a stop and support for the cord in rear of the guiding-face of the finger, said guidingface inclined at all points in the direction of the movement of the cord, whereby the finger acts to guide the cord toward and upon the stop and serves to prevent it from slipping off the same during the knot'forming operation.

12. In a cord-knotter, the combination with the looper trending normally in the direction of the discharge of the bundle, and the slotted breastplate, of a guiding-finger that projects from the side of the slot opposite the looper and acts to deflect the cord to the side of the slot toward the looper, and a stop and support for the cord on the side of the slot next the looper, the outer edge of said stop or rest being inclined upwardly and acting to prevent the cord from slipping off the support during the knot-forming operation.

13. In a cord-knotter, the combination with the looper trending normally in the direction of the discharge of the bundle, and the slotted breastplate, of a guiding-finger projecting from the side of the slot opposite the looper and acting to deflect the cord to the side of the slot towardthe looper, and a stop and support for the cord on the side of the slot next the looper, said guide-finger trending outwardly and inclined upwardly so as to overhang the stop or rest, and the outer edge of the stop itself being inclined upwardly in rear of the finger and acting to prevent the cord from slipping oit the support during the knot-forming operation.

14. In a cord-knotter, the combination with the looper trending normally in the direction of the discharge of the bundle, and a slotted breastplate, of a guiding-finger projecting from the side of the slot opposite the looper and having its active face so inclined in the general direction of the movement of the cord as to 'guide and deflect the same to the opposite side of the slot nearest the looper without arresting it, the edge of the slot on the looper side being inclined transversely to the direction of movement of the cord to arrest the same and form a stop and support therefor, and the free end of the guiding-finger overhanging the said inclined edge of the slot in front and rear of the said inclined edge and acting to prevent the cord from slipping off the support during the knot-forming operation.

15. In a cord-knotter, the combination with the looper trending normally in the direction of the discharge of the bundle, and the slotted breastplate, of a guiding-finger projecting from the side of the slot opposite the looper and having its active face so inclined in the general direction of the movement of the cord as to guide and deflect the same to the opposite side of the slot without arresting it, the edge of the slot on the looper side being inclined transversely to the direction of movement of the cord to form a stop and support for the same, and the guiding-finger being widened and flattened toward its free end so as to overhang the inclined edge of the slot, whereby the end of said finger acts to hold the cord on the support and prevent the same from slipping therefrom during the knotforming operation.

16. In a grain-binder, the combination of the needle, the cord-holder, and the slotted breastplate, of a finger projecting from one side of the breastplate-slot into and across the same with its active face so inclined in the general direction of the outward movement of the cord as to guide and deflect the same to the opposite side of the slot without arresting it, and the opposite edge of the slot being deflected into a generally-perpendicular direction to the movement of the cord at the point where the finger crosses the slot, whereby the deflected edge of the slot receives the cord from the finger and arrests and holds it against further outward movement.

HENRY E. PRIDMORE.

In presence of- JOHN M. GULvER, LEWIS H. WILLIAMS. 

